Beat came on air on 1st July 2003 and the Irish music we have championed over the last two decades on air, social media and interactive has gone through some dramatic changes.
Beat102103 is Ireland's first regional radio station with a strong focus on new and recent music.
Beat broadcasts to the counties of Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary.
Before talking more about music on Beat, it would be remiss not to write about music in 2023 in Ireland without mentioning that the country lost three talented and generational artistes in Shane MacGowan, Christy Dignam and Sinead O'Connor but their music will never fade. RIP legends.
While their music might not have come out in any of our top ten list since 2003 (they were some of the biggest acts in the 80s and 90s), their deaths do not take away their impact and legacy.
In a world where the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are taking over the world charts, we will always extol Irish artistes and being from the South-East makes it all the sweeter.
In our effort to improve our taste in Irish music and give Irish artistes more recognition, we created the Get your Song On Beat initiative.
The aim is to get local, South East and by extension Irish music on air by completing a simple form and our Irish Beats DJ, Ava Somers will get the music on air.
We have also initiated the 'Play Irish Track of the Week' initiative that seeks to promote Irish songs on air. This is a process where you email the Head of Music/Beat Breakfast Host Niall Power and suggest songs to be played on air. At his own time, Niall will pick the 'Play Irish Track of the Week' and play during the award winning Beat Breakfast show on Monday morning.
In a blog post for the Irish Music Rights Organisation, Beat CEO Gabrielle Cummins confirmed the top ten Irish songs played on Beat102103 in 2003, 2013 and 2023 with input from Niall.
The changes in each year, reflect the way music has been consumed by our listeners over the past 20 years. The first year 2003, featured more soul and RnB bands and the most popular songs of the year while 2013 featured more rock bands with Hozier unsurprisingly taking the top spot.
With the rise in single artists as opposed to bands in the last five years, 2023's top ten Irish playlist is also reflective of the same.
The 2003 top ten most played songs on Beats
- Paddy Casey – Saints and Sinners
- The Thrills – One Horse Town
- Micky Joe Harte – We’ve Got The World Tonight
- D’Side – Invisible
- Westlife – Mandy
- Simon Casey – A Better Plan
- The Thrills – Big Sur
- Relish – Father, Brother, Lover, Son
- Paddy Casey – The Lucky One
- Westlife – Hey Whatever
addy Casey performing at the Leeson Show in 2021. Photo: Facebook/Paddy Casey
The 2013 top ten most played songs on Beats
- Hozier – Take Me To Church
- Kodaline – Brand New Day
- Walking On Cars – Catch Me If You Can
- The Script – If You Could See Me Now
- Original Rudeboys – Never Gonna Walk Away
- Kodaline – High Hopes
- Hudson Taylor – Care
- Keywest – Electric Love
- Walking On Cars – Two Stones
- Pat Byrne – End Of The World
Hozier performing in Glasglow. Photo Ruthless Imagery/Hozier on Facebook
The 2023 top ten most played songs on Beats
- Jazzy – Giving Me
- Niall Horan – Heaven
- Picture This – Get On My Love
- Robert Grace – Casper
- Moncrieff – Love Somebody
- Chasing Abbey – Oh My Johnny
- Cian Ducrot – I’ll Be Waiting
- Cian Ducrot – Heaven
- Darren Kiely – Mom & Dad
- Brad Heidi – Dancing In My Head
Moncrieff during a performance in Berlin. Photo: Facebook/Moncrieff
And finally, we have a list of South East artistes who were quite popular on air. Their songs might not have been played as often as those on the top ten list but they were highly ranked.
The best South East acts outside the Top Ten in 2023
49th & Main – Icy (Kilkenny)
John Gibbons – All I Need (Carlow)
CODYY – Time 2 Be (Waterford)
Welshy – Used To Be (Kilkenny)
State of Mind – Lonely (Wexford)
2Time Charlie – Levitate (Waterford)
Beat will continue to promote music and give a platform for Irish singers to showcase their talents.
As our mission statement says: "Beat 102 103 is the most powerful and effective advertising medium in the region as it delivers the largest audience of any radio station in the South East."
*This article has addition input from Beat CEO Gabrielle Cummins.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
